After 3 weeks of low to no sugar, I ate a brownie and a small ice cream parfait yesterday. I enjoyed them thoroughly and was happy to find that I didn't have the urge to start eating everything in sight. In the past, eating sugary foods often led to cravings. I think I'll do fine avoiding sugar most of the time and allowing the occasional treat.

_________________Again, you are all brilliant and sexy. And I am lavender-laden and secure in my masculinity. - Sir Brancis Facon

I reeeeally need to do this. I've been eating a lot more sugar since being back in the states (comfort baking!) and I can tell I'm having more trouble getting through my workouts. I know it's the best thing to do and I know I'll feel better but still it's so hard to commit! A week at a time, I guess, is the mindset to start with.

I keep trying to do low sugar as a way to help me with my binge issues (if I get rid of the cravings, it takes away one of the triggers for the behavior and I'm working with a therapist on the behavior itself as well as the emotional triggers). I did it successfully for about a week and a half earlier this year and I think I should jump back on the wagon and see if I can make lit longer this time. I bet I can. No special holidays coming up that involve tons of sugary things, so I think I should be good. At least on that front.

_________________"Vegan to me means Oreos for breakfast." -Poopiebitch"tl;dr: I quit working to drink beer paid for with gift cards" erikasoyf*cker

I've been doing low sugar for Lent. Haven't had any candy for over a month! Its so true, once you cut back/eliminate, you don't want it! I have had Builder/Luna bars as a treat, but even those used to be dangerous when I was in the sugar cycle. I'd have them in the house, and eat 3 in a sitting! But now I can just have one a day.

I feel good and want to keep this up. The hardest part right now is peer pressure! Food pushers, or basically just friends who want to share dessert. I'm like, more for you!

Blargh! I did so well for 21 days, and then my husband made me crepes for Easter. Now I am back to being willing to chew my arm off to get some sugar.

Stay strong, Tofulish, you can do it! What's helped me is to focus on savory foods and try to get enough protein and healthy fats in my diet. I stayed away from things like bread and potatoes the first couple of weeks, because for me they triggered cravings for sweets. I can eat bread again now that the sugar monster has been tamed.

I'm at the point now where I can eat small amounts of sugar without going overboard. I got a Sjaak's chocolate bunny for Easter and have only made it through the ears and part of the head since Sunday (gruesome!). A month ago I would have eaten all of it in a matter of hours. It's good and all that, but what I really want right now is a burrito...in the shape of a bunny.

_________________Again, you are all brilliant and sexy. And I am lavender-laden and secure in my masculinity. - Sir Brancis Facon

I'm pregnant, and I have a SERIOUS sweet tooth for the first time in my life. Desserts have entered into my diet in a BIG way, and I'm putting the brakes on, because it's becoming ridiculous. I'm starting on a week of low sugar (with zero refined sugar), and my partner is joining me. Beans and rice for breakfast, here we come!

I had heard about this on Dr.Oz last week or the week prior, I don't remember. Anyways, he suggested drinking licorice tea when you have a sugar craving. It's sweeter than sugar and 0 calories. I tried it this afternoon, and it worked wonderfully for me since I'm trying to cut back down again after my Easter baking marathon(and subsequent eating).

Good luck, Noelle, and congrats!

_________________"I would love to be president of the United States. It's been my dream ever since I discovered what power was." ~ RandiJM, age 11-ish

Hello. I'm a bit new here. Currently on day two of no sugar. Didn't think I'd manage one day so am quite pleased about that. Have suspicion I need to do anti candida diet again but can't face it so hoping that no sugar will calm things down a bit. I have a mouth full of sweet teeth and a love for baked goods that would make a crack addict look chilled. This should be fun. I do know that riding out the first few days is essential and that it gets easier - no really I do know that. No really. *sigh*

Since I had the baby my sweet tooth is out of control. I am still breastfeeding and I find myself eating so much candy to just get through the day. Of course it just cause an awful high and low cycle all day and I am feeling crappy from it. I have given up sugar a few times and when I do I feel better, and the baby and I both sleep better. I was talking to a friend yesterday and she said when she was breastfeeding she eventually had to seriously limit her sugar because she felt like she was giving her kids a sugar high frm her milk. So here it goes! No sugar until my vacation on June 27!

we're still going strong and i think it's mostly because i finally realize how much my body hates sugar. i cringe just thinking of how sick it makes me and refrain even when I really want a vegan milkshake.

after a few weeks (just like every time we cut sugar) my skin cleared up, my body seemed healthier and i felt way better. i didn't have mood swings and i slept better.

once we cut sugar, we decided to cut oil completely. we then made a final switch from brown rice to quinoa.we've been eating pretty clean and I love how happy my tummy is all the time. it takes a couple of weeks for the tastebuds to change, but they do!

What does eating "clean" mean? Sugar and oil are not what I would term "dirty."

_________________A whole lot of access and privilege goes into being sanctimonious pricks J-DubDessert is currently a big bowl of sanctimonious, passive aggressive vegan enduced boak. FezzaYou people are way less funny than Pandacookie. Sucks to be you.-interrobang?!

Refining something makes it... dirty? Wait. Sugar from fruit is still sugar, and in some cases it can be the worse option, e.g. if you don't absorb fructose efficiently. Not that I'm trying to convince anyone to add table sugar to things if they don't want to. If sweets are displacing other things you ought to be eating that's another matter, obviously.

We stayed with our friends who own Cinnaholic, EatPastry and Madeleine Bistro over 3 months. We indulged constantly for 3 months. Between visits, it was all road trip snack foods. I was salting everything before even tasting it, etc. Everything was fried and as someone who gets sick from oil and sugar, I was very sick at the end of tour.

So not that anything different is "dirty", I just mean plain, steamed or naked food. Also I say I'm "keeping clean" when I'm refraining from eating foods that instantly give me headaches/digestive problems. Like keeping my body tidy - but for what my body specifically needs. Everyone's dietary needs are different of course. Didn't mean to insinuate anyone eats dirty foods. Sorry about my poor choice of words.

_________________"One day you'll see, when tofu takes over the world because tofu can be anything it wants to be!" -bekki

ctate, you were my original inspiration for cutting out sugar! I mean, I didn't actually do it because I suck and have no willpower, but I thought about it sometimes. :p I remember how much better you said you felt. I know "clean" seems to have become a loaded word with food, but I know what you're saying and I tend to think about it the same way.

I need to try this, finally. I don't eat a TON of sugar, but a sweetened iced coffee (or two) that I nurse at work all day, and the weekly "Omg look a vegan cupcake!" from Whole Foods when I go food shopping. Plus semi-hidden sugars in everyday things. I feel crappy, and I'm not sure why, so sugar-free will be the first experiment. (I've felt similarly crappy as an omni and as a vegetarian as well; it's not a recent thing).

I have a couple challenges- the aforementioned iced coffees, and my favorite meals (pad thai and other Asian noodle-y things that have sugar in the sauce)- but I'm working out solutions for those. I think I'll do stevia, dates, and a little maple syrup sometimes, but that's it. I can do this. (Right? Right.)

I'm not trying to be sugar free, but I would like to find some sugar free breakfast options! I am tired of cereals and non dairy milks filled with sugar to start my day.

I'm pretty sure there is a savory breakfast thread in the Kitchen. Try searching for it. If I had more time I'd do it for you, but I need to leave.

Amy, you can do this! I'm doing this again starting tomorrow and we can keep each other motivated if you'd like. I felt great when I did this before, and then I got sucked back into the vegan cakes/cupcakes at WF which just lead to me eating more crepe. I can't do stevia(it makes everything taste like chemicals to me), but I do use dates and maple syrup. Sometimes molasses if it'd fit with the recipe. Also when I get iced coffees, I'll order a venti, but ask them to only put half the sweetener in it, and I got so used to that where now if I go to a different coffee place and forget, everything tastes super sugary.

_________________"I would love to be president of the United States. It's been my dream ever since I discovered what power was." ~ RandiJM, age 11-ish

I have never liked stevia (could use Truvia only in certain things), but on the recommendation of the Bonzai Aphrodite blog I tried this one in particular, and it's not bad! Also, because I used to love iced peppermint vanilla lattes from SB's, I bought the peppermint version too. I've only tried them together once, but it was really good! I'm hoping I still feel that way when I try again.

I've been back on the no-sugar wagon as of 4 days ago. I just got too excited about all the great vegan baked goods around now that I'm back in this city and realized that it's not healthy to feel like I need 1-2 sweets every single day. So I'm basically doing no-sugar during the week (with the exception of blackstrap molasses) and allowing myself a little bit of low-sugar baking on the weekends, I hope I can still join this thread.

One of my main weaknesses is sugar (with soymilk) in my coffee. I do like black occasionally, but if I'm not eating something at the same time then it rips up my stomach so I can't handle it. What I've been doing instead is adding a lot of soymilk and a dash of cinnamon, which doesn't bother my stomach and makes it un-bitter enough to be enjoyable. I've also been eating lots of fresh fruit, especially berries and apples.

And in the evenings if I want something sweet then I drink a tea blend that has anise and some other sweet spices in it so it feels like I'm treating myself. I'm totally an emotional eater and feel like I need some sort of treat every time I feel down, and the tea is surprisingly helpful for that. So far so good!

The dash of cinnamon in coffee is a good idea! I forgot about that. I wonder if it would work ok in my iced coffees.

That is still my weakness and the reason I'm failing on the no-sugar thing. I've tried with the stevia, but it just feels like a much less good version of my favorite thing, which is kinda depressing. I think I just need to cut the sweetener out altogether and give myself a little time to get used to it.

Okay, I'm back on board. I have been eating waaaaay too much sugar lately, and it's making me feel terrible. Today has been my first day off the stuff (after making cinnamon rolls over the weekend - WHY?) and I am going through major withdrawal (headache, nausea, fatigue... gross). I'm just trying to avoid added sugars and sugary things (and trying to cut way back on the ridiculous amount of bread I eat), so not super strict, and I've allowed myself as much fruit as I wanted today which helped a little. I still want to attack the So Delicious Minis I have in the freezer, but I'm refraining.

It's going to be really hard for me a couple of days a week, because I bake for a cafe and sometimes I really, genuinely HAVE to taste what I'm making, in all its sugary refined glory. I will just have to practice willpower and stop at a taste.

I'm back on board too. I've been eating way too much sugar and junk food lately and while I do think it's okay in moderation, eating too much of those things makes me feel yuck-o. Focusing on protein and healthy fats helps reduce to the cravings, at least for me.

One of my go-to treats now is coffee with almond milk and coconut oil. Sounds weird but it tastes great. I warm up the almond milk, add a spoonful of coconut oil, and whip it up with a milk frother before pouring the mixture in a cup of coffee. For some reason blending seems to keeps the oil from separating. I use the Blue Diamond original almond milk, the unsweetened is too bitter to use with coffee.

_________________Again, you are all brilliant and sexy. And I am lavender-laden and secure in my masculinity. - Sir Brancis Facon

I need to get on the no/low sugar bandwagon IMMEDIATELY. I've been going a little insane on the sucre since my birthday earlier in the month, and I notice that sugar has a really negative effect on my mood and my mental state with my ED recovery. So... I'm thinking a pretty austere phase one... Just raw fruits as a sweet source. But can I also have dates? Should dates wait until phase 2? I hate Stevia, with a passion, so a little sweetener sounds nice.